A Review of The Canterbury Tales: The Summoner's Tale

                                                 

                       

                                                                           The Prologue:

The prologue starts off with the summoner ready to strike out at the friar. He claims the friar has lied and brought suffering upon him. He tells a story about an angel that takes a friar to hell as the friar sees that none of his profession are there. However, the angel lets him know that a multitude of friars are in hell. The angel requests the devil to show the friar the many friars are in hell.

The prologue continues as the devil reveals twenty thousand friars to be in hell. The friar is left with an impregnable fear of hell afterwards. Chaucer then tells us to pray for this friar's soul. 

                                                                            The Tale: 

There was in Yorkshire a friar that both preached and begged. The friar in this tale serves people and will give them silly stories in return for food from them. This friar pretended to be all humble as he took advantage of others. 

The friar (not the one in the tale) meanwhile, accuses the summoner of lying. However, the host interrupts and tells the summoner to tell the whole tale. The summoner returns to the tale. 

By this point in the tale, the friar had come to a home where he was not wanted. The friar talks to a sick man and there and says that it would be hard for such a person as him to interpret scripture without the aid of a friar. Before I proceed, let me briefly interject the story for this point. 

Concerning the friar's remarks about the poor needing him to interpret scripture for them, I personally, feel like this is a reference again to Wycliffe's theology. Here, we see Chaucer possibly satirizing the Roman Catholic rejection of Sola scriptura while he favours the friar no more than he does the poor. Chaucer brings attention to the problems of people trusting in an infallible magisterium as the friar we already know, will misuse scripture for his personal power. Although many of the apologist from Rome will insist on the hierarchy never leading the flock astray, this story is a perfect example of what happens when people assume that the Roman Church's leadership and clergy will be faithful to the scriptures, when in fact, many of them have not been. Now, to return to the Summoner's Tale.

Chaucer gives an interesting description of the sick man giving a fart into the friar's hand: 

Amidde his hand he leet the frere a fart. 

Ther nis no capul, drawinge in a cart, 

That mighte have let a fart of swich a soune. 

The friar was driven out by the sick man's servants. No doubt, the friar became angry after he had hoped to get money from this sick man! Having went back to his lord, the lord tried to comfort the friar. The friar told him all that had previously happened. 

Last, the friar tried to gain sympathy from the lord's wife. Finally in the tale, the lord wakes up and sees the friar as the rotten character that he is. The story ends by the punishment of having the friar farted on. 

                                                                     My Analysis: 

An odd way to end no doubt! The Summoner's Tale is a reminder that corruption can come in any form, even in church clergy. I am not sure that the friar got exactly what he deserved at the end of the tale. However, I think that the prologue and story collectively imply that the friar was headed to hell. Of course, no greater condemnation awaits the wicked than damnation itself.